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a chat with ben kweller Singer‐songwriter Ben Kweller has been a steady presence on the pop‐rock music scene since he was a mere twenty years old. In the past ten yeas he’s released five albums and created his own record label, while regularly touring and raising his two sons. His latest album Go Fly a Kite is an album filled with catchy songs with cutting lyrics. Kweller caught up with Emmie about his tour, his latest album, and his man‐ crush on Conor Oberst.
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85(,,#HI00#>(#M(%#^-(00(*#%"-9i#?%&# !')!#-),#+!g#?#7(-#."%!',#0)!(*#-(# &(<+&(&#!"#."/(#!"#T(-#U"*@#)%&# !')!I,#-'(*(#(/(*K!'+%8#!""@#"779 That’s awesome. So your tour just started about a month ago right? How’s it going? U()'9#H#-(%!#,!*)+8'!#!"#B)6)%9# H!I,#8"+%8#8""&9#B)6)%#-),#8""&;# ?5,!*)0+)#-),#8""&9#T"-#HI.#>)<@# +%#?5,!+%#)%&#-(#,!)*!#J"5!'#>K# J"5!'-(,!#!"."**"-;#-(I/(#8"!#0+@(# four gigs a day or something crazy 0+@(#!')!;#)%&#)#0"!#"7#+%!(*/+(-,9#?%&# the album’s out as you know, and then we head up to Hartford for the $*,!#8+89
Hi Ben, thanks for talking with me today. No worries. I’m always happy to call a 203 area code. That always makes me And then you have a couple of dates in Texas which is where you happy. live right? Does that ease you into touring again? Really? Are you familiar with Yeah, it’s fun. I kind of like it both Connecticut? H#).g#?<!5)00K#.K#-+7(#+,#7*".#W5+07"*&# ways—sometimes it’s fun to start off in Texas and sometimes it’s fun and so we met in Boston, she went to end in Texas, you know? It really !"#L),,#?*!#mL),,)<'5,(!!,#C"00(8(# depends on the routing. Yeah, but "7#?*!#)%&#A(,+8%n;#)%&#!'(%#,'(# concert to concert … getting onstage ."/(&#>)<@#!"#W5+07"*&#)%&#H#-),#+%# is fun whether I’m in my backyard or Texas and we had a long distance at Madison Square Garden. relationship for awhile and then I &(<+&(&#!"#."/(#56#T"*!'#!"#0+/(#-+!'# And you have a wife and two sons '(*9#J"#H#0+/(&#+%#W5+07"*&#7"*#)>"5!#j# now. Do they go on tour with you? months. Well that’s the thing: so in the past K(,;#!'(KI/(#)0-)K,#<".(#"5!#"%#!'(# That’s awesome! I’m from *")&#-+!'#.(;#>5!#"5*#$/(#K()*#"0&# ;&%1.#.+%< A"*+)%#%"-#,!)*!(&#^+%&(*8)*!(%;#,"# Oh cool! Yeah, totally! now he’s in school, and so he can’t come and I’m heart broken because We were like neighbors. %"-#H#')/(#!"#8"#"%#!"5*#>K#.K,(079 #U()'#.)%g#J"#K()';#H#*()00K#0"/(# Connecticut. That’s kind of the So do you think they’ll be rock >+*!'60)<(#"7#.K#,"0"#<)*((*9#H#0+/(&# stars? in Guilford and I started writing really Well I certainly wouldn’t encourage it, '()/+0K#)5!">+"8*)6'+<)0#,"%8,O#H# >5!#H#-+00#,)K#!'(K#')/(#,".(#,(*+"5,# wrote “Lizzy” there, and “Falling,” 6),,+"%#7"*#.5,+<#)0*()&K9#?!#0(),!# EV).+0K#=*((9i#?00#!')!#,!577;#H#-*"!(# F5,!#0+@(#0+,!(%+%8#!"#.5,+<;#!'(K#0"/(# )00#!')!#!'(*(9#H#*()0+](&#H#&+&%I!#')/(# music and dancing so we’ll see what a band and I was like “Well shit … I happens.